Chief Executive Officer Cambridge Assessment English · Cambridge English not only develops new products but also new digital technological wrap around services to serve its customer

Chief Executive Officer Candidate Pack 1

Chief Executive Officer

Cambridge Assessment English


About Cambridge Assessment 3

About Cambridge Assessment English 5

Job Description 8

Person Specification 9

Contents


Cambridge AssessmentCambridge Assessment is one of the world’s leading assessment and education services organisations. Our qualifications and education programmes give learners the confidence to demonstrate and fulfil their potential. As a department of the University of Cambridge, we are at the forefront of education, and have been since 1858. We make a real and lasting difference to the lives of millions of learners around the world.

The Cambridge Assessment Group incorporates three major exam boards: Cambridge Assessment International Education, Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) and Cambridge Assessment English. In the UK, OCR is the only public examination board that is affiliated to a university. The exam boards comprising the Cambridge Assessment Group deliver tests, qualifications and associated educational services in over 170 countries around the world.

Oxford Cambridge and RSA

Department of the University

Business Units

For all learners and teachers of international education programmes

For UK learners in schools, colleges and training providers

For all learners and teachers of English language


Across Cambridge Assessment we have a team of more than 80 researchers, which makes our research capability the largest of its kind in Europe. Each and every learner benefits from our research, which is at the heart of all our qualifications and education programmes. Cambridge Assessment employs over 2,500 people, both in the UK and internationally. In addition, each year approximately 30,000 examiners and assessors provide marking and other services to Cambridge Assessment.

Cambridge Assessment’s vision is to extend its leadership of the global qualifications market and to continue to help learners demonstrate and fulfil their potential. To achieve this Cambridge Assessment has ambitious plans to grow its portfolio of products and services, mapped to the future of digital assessment, to maximise business growth potential internationally and to drive value and efficiency through continued collaboration across both the Group and with the wider University.

With generated revenue of over £413M in the past year and net assets worth £600M, Cambridge Assessment strives to capitalise on opportunities within the rapidly growing educational and assessment services and ed-tech sectors. To remain competitive Cambridge Assessment ensures its core products and services respond well to changing customer requirements, including digital, and it invests heavily in its people’s capabilities to augment the already impressive growth and success over recent years.

A philosophy of fairness and integrity runs through everything we do, and we are committed to the delivery of our goals through the way we work together, both in teams and as individuals. Our values are: “Collaborative, Innovative and Responsible”.

Further information about Cambridge Assessment can be found at:cambridgeassessment.org.uk


Cambridge Assessment EnglishCambridge Assessment English provides the world’s leading range of qualifications for learners and teachers of English. Its mission is to help people learn English and prove their skills to the world. We want to reach a billion learners. Cambridge Assessment English works in more than 130 countries and over five million people every year take its exams, which are recognised by over 20,000 universities, employers and governments. This includes recognition from 99 of the Top 100 universities listed by the UK’s Times Higher Education magazine.

Our English examinations business generated an income in excess of £208 million for 2016-17, an increase of 73% over the past five years and is targeting continued growth of around 10% year on year. Cambridge English is committed to continuing to invest for growth in existing major markets, while developing opportunities in a range of other strategically important markets.

Strategic priorities Cambridge English’s strategic priorities are to:• Innovate to expand our leadership in English language assessment;

• Develop a range of digital learning products to extend our reach, drive increased take-up of our assessments and create new revenue streams;

• Work with Cambridge University Press as our preferred content partner, whilst creating new partnerships and making acquisitions;

• Put our customers first with products and services that exceed their expectations;

• Modernise our processes and platforms to improve quality and increase efficiency; and

• Become a truly international organisation with a high performance culture that embodies our values.


Business EnvironmentGiven the nature of its business environment, Cambridge English needs to be extremely responsive to increasingly demanding customer requirements and it must be proactive in anticipating changing trends and movements in the industry. Cambridge English faces fierce competition in many markets, especially from the US-based Educational Testing Service, Princeton and increasingly from UK organisations such as Oxford University Press and Pearson Education as well as numerous local organisations. Whereas Cambridge English was traditionally an examinations provider, this increasingly competitive environment has meant that it has now had to extend its range of services significantly and will have to do so even more extensively in years to come. This is leading to a redefinition of the core business that now encompasses not only examinations but also courseware, mobile learning, curriculum and syllabus design, benchmarking services, consultancy and international projects.

Cambridge English has established small joint units with the Cambridge University Press’s ELT publishing division (Cambridge English Press), University of Michigan (CaMLA – Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments) and CBLA in Australia – a specialist provider of English language tests for medical practitioners. Cambridge English also has a key strategic relationship with the British Council and IDP of Australia, with whom it shares ownership of the IELTS test and management of this often highly complex and important relationship is a key element of the role.

The Cambridge English business is thus a complex one that interacts in different ways with a full range of stakeholders. Given the nature of the ELT market internationally and growing competition, Cambridge English has had to establish a significant international infrastructure of offices which needs not only to represent Cambridge effectively but also coordinate a particular brand of consultative selling that appropriately reflects the status, international standing and reputation of the University.

The present and near future is a particularly challenging time as technological innovation continues to evolve. It is important that Cambridge English not only develops new products but also new digital technological wrap around services to serve its customer base yet more effectively. Strategic alliances will need to be identified and established and Cambridge English’s profile in Europe particularly will need to be developed vigorously if we are to achieve our aspiration of becoming Europe’s preferred language assessment agency.


StructureCambridge English has a headcount of 750, approximately 160 of whom are based overseas across our Global Network regions: Americas, Central, Europe, East Asia, South East Asia & Pacific and Spain & Portugal (a region in its own right due to the size of this market).

The Cambridge English leadership team is structured around the following Groups:

Assessment Admissions Testing Customer Services Operations Validation and Data ServicesProduces, manages, delivers and validates all examinations and assessments in association with our global network of assessment centres to ensure our candidates have the best possible examination experience. These areas report into the COO.

Business & MarketingLiaison with teachers, universities, government departments and the wider world of education; Ensures sales targets are met by supporting the centre network with local sales and marketing activity, and by identifying and developing new business opportunities

Global NetworkOur international sales and marketing teams who sell our examinations and products.

Partnerships, projects and policyDevelops partnerships with governments on major education reform and develops related strategy and policy. Our joint ventures sit under this group.

Research and Thought LeadershipExpert opinion supporting world leading products and services in the field of English assessment.

Further information can be found at www.cambridgeenglish.org.uk

CEOCambridge

English

PA

CEO‘s Office

Chief Operating

Officer

Director Business & Marketing

Director Global

Network

Director PPP

Director Research

& Thought Leadership

Director Digital & New

Product Development


Job DescriptionJob title: Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment EnglishReports to: Group Chief Executive Officer, Cambridge AssessmentBusiness Unit: Cambridge Assessment English

Job PurposeTo lead Cambridge Assessment English (Cambridge English) and deliver Cambridge English’s business strategic priorities as identified in the Cambridge Assessment Group Five Year Business Plan and Corporate Strategy.


Principal Accountabilities: • To grow our business to reach 1 billion learners through the development and implementation of Cambridge English’s business strategy, business plan and annual operating plan.

• Achieve financial and other targets and objectives set out in the business plan and annual operating plan.

• Deliver Cambridge English’s annual examination series securely and in accordance with the business plan.

• Maintain and develop a coherent, fit-for-purpose and high-quality portfolio of qualifications, training materials, courses and support publications complaint with the regulatory framework.

• Develop Cambridge English’s brand and reputation whilst safeguarding that of the University of Cambridge.

• Be an ambassador for Cambridge English and Cambridge Assessment’s interests externally at the highest level with customers and other key external stakeholders.

• Expand and deliver Cambridge English’s growing portfolio of international projects.

• As a member of Cambridge Assessment’s Corporate Board, contribute to the development of group business strategies, business plans and financial targets.

The Person• The successful candidate will have the following key skills, experience and attributes:

• Degree, plus senior management experience working in an international environment.

• Experience in the education sector desirable, preferably with an ELT or publishing background and some understanding of exams and assessment.

• Successful track record as a commercially capable leader who has delivered business growth in a complex international business involving multiple stakeholders and partners.

• Proven ability of leading and engaging a large professional international workforce in the delivery of its strategic aims.

• Ability to deal effectively with a range of stakeholders including external local and international partners, governments and the media.

• Track record of implementing technology solutions to enable the business to meet its future needs.

• A collaborative approach with the ability to develop constructive internal and external relationships, both with colleagues across Cambridge Assessment and externally in order to identify and exploit opportunities for mutual benefit.

Work/life balance is important to Cambridge Assessment, and we offer all our colleagues a range of flexible working options, which suit both the business and the employee.


Qualifications:• First degree and postgraduate qualification.

Skills:• Effective leadership, with an inclusive and progressive style, the ability to empower and inspire others and high levels of personal and professional integrity

• Cultural sensitivity to enable effective work with other national groups or cultures

• Creative problem solving and strategic thinking, conceptualization and implementation

• Highly developed skills and track record in the management of change

• Track record in management of continuous improvement/zero defects operations with respect to process, workflow and data management

• Ability to negotiate to ensure that partnership projects meet client needs and also deliver appropriate margins

• Skill in relationship building and communication with customers at distance and face to face

• An effective leader of professional staff

• Ability to engage in discussion or presentation of complex concepts with non-expert audiences including senior government representatives and media as well as to other assessment professionals

• Commitment to the values of Cambridge Assessment as a non-profit organisation

• Be respected as an education expert

• Excellent planning skills

• Strong interpersonal and people skills


Experience:• Professional authority gained through senior experience in the context of education or assessment including in an international setting

• Substantial experience in senior management roles

• Detailed knowledge of educational assessment practice

• Deep understanding of school education in more than one national setting

• Have previously managed a team of experts in their field

• Have dealt with requirements of regulatory bodies such as Ofqual

Behaviours:• Highly confident when presenting on education and assessment topics

• Have stamina to deal with a demanding role which includes keeping ‘business as usual’ going, while also dealing with immediate challenges and acting strategically

• Have flexible management style including consultative and directional, when required

• Tactful

• Strong influencing and negotiating skills

• Confident to present to internal and external stakeholders at a senior level


Documents

Chief Executive Officer Cambridge Assessment English · Cambridge English not only develops new products but also new digital technological wrap around services to serve its customer